Violent protests spur 'peace monitoring' in San Bernardino

President of the Los Angeles Civil Rights Association Eddie Jones, center, talks about recent San Bernardino George Zimmerman trial protest concerns during a news conference on the corner of Waterman Avenue and Base Line in San Bernardino on Friday. (Rachel Luna/Staff Photographer)

Photo Gallery: Civil rights activists plan 'peace monitoring'
SAN BERNARDINO -- What began as a 100-person march down the sidewalk with people chanting "no justice, no peace" grew into vandalism and attacks on police Thursday night, authorities say, but Friday morning brought a call from civil-rights activists for justice and peace.

Standing at Base Line and Waterman Avenue, the intersection where police say protesters threw rocks and bottles at officers late Thursday, 15 people gathered to say that protesting was admirable but violence was unacceptable.

"We are very concerned about the safety of the community," said Eddie Jones, president of the Los Angeles Civil Rights Association. "We need our diapers, milk, food supplies, medical supplies, and destroying those destroys us."

Jones said he and others with him would engage in "peace monitoring," which he described as watching the protests and using his "moral force" and information freely given to appropriate authorities to discourage any illegal activity.

The gathering comes after Jones was called out to San Bernardino on Thursday night by concerned protesters. Just after midnight, Jones said he suspected that police overreaction had incited the violence, but he distanced himself from it.

Police say a group of about 120 people began throwing rocks at passing vehicles and police without provocation, and damaged one police vehicle.

After officers ordered the group to disperse, about 50 remained and threw rocks and bottles at officers from behind cinder block walls until officers eventually cleared the area, police said.

Eleven people were arrested on such charges as assault with a deadly weapon, battery, assault on a police horse, assault on a peace officer and vandalism.

The initial group of protesters were students who should know to stay peaceful, said Anita Scott, a counselor for the San Bernardino City Unified School District.

"Those are my kids, and what's on my heart right now is what I'm going to say to them," she said. "We need to teach them that you have a right to assemble -- you have a right to march, a right to protest, a right to rally. What you do not have the right to is to destroy private or public property."

Yet the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the Florida shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin that started the protests still needed to be changed, the group said. They plan to gather email addresses and encourage people to sign online petitions to end "stand your ground" laws and ask U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to review the case.

More protests, organized by different groups, were planned for Friday night and Saturday morning.

Andre Orr, 27, was open about being angry after midnight Thursday as he stood in a parking lot, where he said police had shot his cousin with a bean-bag gun.

"I'm angry about injustice," he said.

Orr said police had asked the group to leave but they felt they had a right under the First Amendment to stay.

"He didn't do anything wrong," Orr said of his cousin, complaining about the time it took paramedics to arrive.

Orr acknowledged that he had seen some protesters throw bricks or rocks, which he said was incited by comments from people driving by.

"Some (Latinos) drove by and were yelling at us, and you know how it is," Orr said. "They (protesters) didn't like that. But us, we were just standing here. It wasn't our thing."

Police said the rock and bottle throwing started without provocation. People in the crowd began tossing rocks and bottles at passing motorists, police vehicles and police personnel.

A police car was damaged by a thrown rock, and a police horse was struck.

Police drove people away with horses and riot gear, Orr said, when they were there only to ask for justice.

Most of the protesters dispersed, but police say around 50 moved behind cinder block walls and started throwing rocks and bottles at officers. Police eventually cleared the remaining people out of the area.

Once the crowd had left, police received a report of a person who had been attacked by one of the protesters. The suspected attacker, 22-year-old Byron Thomas, was arrested after a long foot chase. Police said he was on parole.

Residents listening to police scanners asked about rumors of burnt fast-food buildings and other reported damage, but none was visible in the area of the reported protest and employees said they hadn't seen any. However, one protester, who asked that his name not be used, said he had seen others light small fires in alleys "that weren't supposed to really burn anything," and fire engines raced to put out fires on Thursday night.

Thursday night's destruction came hours after a march from Perris Hill Park to Base Line and Waterman Avenue that had as many smiles as screams.

"We're walking for justice, for anything except an allowed murder," said Lati Harris, 15, of San Bernardino. "What Zimmerman got away with isn't right, and we want people to know that."

Until protesters walking along Waterman made it to Base Line, police drove along the opposite side of the road, monitoring but not interfering.

There were no signs of violence among the mostly teenage protesters at that time, but Lati said he understood why other rallies had gotten violent.

"This is natural emotion," he said.

Before sundown Thursday, a few protesters yelled profanities, and at least one 12-year-old protester said she wanted to kill Zimmerman in order to feel safe from being killed as Martin was.

A friend told her that wasn't the appropriate reaction, though. Many said they saw the exercise as a positive way to fight perceived wrong.

"I see the future of our country here, and it's promising," said a 42-year-old protester, one of the few who appeared much older than 20. "These kids care about an injustice, and they're doing their civic duty to fight it."